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Marta has entered the Olympic Games record books after scoring Brazil's opener against China.

All 12 nations competing at the Tokyo Games women's football tournament are in action as the group stage kicks off on Wednesday, two days before the official opening ceremony.

Brazil made the best possible start to their opening Pool F fixture against China thanks to Marta, who made history by netting her 11th goal in Olympic competition before Debinha doubled their advantage midway through the first half. Marta then added a second goal in the second half.

Marta's milestone

Marta has become the first player, male or female, to find the net in five consecutive Olympic tournaments, having initially made her international debut back in 2002.

The 35-year-old is now second on the all-time top scorer chart in the Olympic Games, moving ahead of Canadian Christine Sinclair and just two behind fellow Brazilian Christaine.

Elsewhere, Brazil midfielder Formiga has become the oldest player to ever play in the Games in her seventh successive tournament at the age of 43.

Marta's career record

Marta's latest outing for Brazil marked her 160th international appearance and, after scoring twice against China to take her total to 111 goals, she has extended her record as the highest-scoring male or female player in her country's history.

The veteran forward is widely regarded as the finest female player of all-time, having been named FIFA World Player of the Year on six occasions, and has played for 10 different clubs across her illustrious career, including Umea IK, Santos and Rosengard.

Marta is currently on the books of American team Orlando Pride, who she helped reach the National Women's Soccer League playoffs for the first time last season.

Who else will Brazil play in Group F?

Marta and Co will continue their Group F campaign when they take on the Netherlands on Saturday.

Brazil are then due to wrap up their pool schedule against Zambia on July 27 and will hope to advance to the last eight as they bid to win a gold medal for the first time in their history.

Further reading 

Retired Bafana Bafana midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane has claimed Pitso Mosimane's achievements as a coach have not happened by accident.

After helping Al Ahly to see off Kaizer Chiefs and lift the 10th Caf Champions League title, Letsholonyane believes the South African deserves the achievements because he has worked hard for them.

"Mosimane being where he is now is not by accident, he is there because of all the efforts he put in as a player and then as a coach," said the former Kaizer Chiefs star, as quoted by KingFut.

"Pitso is one of the best coaches that I worked with, he’s won the Champions League, proving that he has more abilities than we have imagined. He is a role model for South Africa, he’s showing us that we have more abilities and potential than we think."

"If we put in effort and focus, we can go far as a country, as he’s gone far as a coach," he added.

Although many have credited Mosimane with helping Al Ahly become champions once more, the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach picked the club's president, Mahmoud El-Khatib, as the one who deserves more credit.

"For many years, it has been a norm that whenever a club from this part of the world searches for a new coach, they go to Europe and find a new coach," said Mosimane. 

"It was a norm. If not Europe, they try someone from around the world, but mainly Europe. But Captain El Khatib went against the wind. He took a very bold decision and I’m sure a lot of people didn’t understand him then.

"It was a very bold decision and I’m sure very difficult as well, because, you brought this coach. Yes, I was known in Egypt but no one from Sub Saharan Africa had ever coached the club in over 100 years.

"El Khatib is now part of history, because of him, many clubs will now be open to hiring coaches that look like me – not just those who come from Europe."

Brighton are closing in on a deal for Tino Livramento as they look to finalise a fee with Chelsea after the 18-year-old rejected contract offers to remain in west London.

Southampton made a strong late approach after teams including Aston Villa, RB Leipzig and AC Milan queued up to sign Chelsea's Academy Player of the Year.

The Blues' approach for recent Paris Saint-Germain signing Achraf Hakimi is another possible factor that damaged their argument to keep Livramento.

What about Lewis Bate?

As first reported on Goal, Bate had already closed in on a move to Leeds United on Tuesday night after they accelerated talks.

Marcelo Bielsa's side have now agreed to a £1.5 million fee with Chelsea for the 18-year-old but the deal includes add-ons based on Premier League appearances and a future sell-on fee.

Bate sees a clearer pathway to the first team at Elland Road with Chelsea having N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Billy Gilmour ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.

Who else could leave?

Chelsea also face soon losing Myles Peart-Harris who is expected to join Brentford in the coming days. Dynel Simeu is also closing in on a Premier League move but the destination has yet to be made clear.

Genk are now favourites to sign Ike Ugbo after informally agreeing on a contract with the Chelsea striker but have yet to have a bid accepted. Anderlecht are also monitoring his situation.

Thierno Ballo could move on loan later in the transfer window, with Rapid Vienna, Sturm Graz, Mainz and Arminia Bielefeld all interested. Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic are among the clubs interested in taking Henry Lawrence on a season-long loan deal.

Marc Guehi has already left in an £18 million move to Crystal Palace.

Further reading

Martin Braithwaite "will continue at Barcelona", according to the Denmark star's agent Hasan Cetinkaya, who has rubbished talk of a potential switch to Wolves in an angry rant at Jorge Mendes.

Wolves are reportedly in the market for several new additions as Bruno Lage continues to prepare for his first season in charge at Molineux, with Braithwaite rumoured to be near the top of their list of targets.

It has been suggested that Portuguese super-agent Mendes, who has strong ties to the club, is in the process of negotiating a €15 million (£13m/$18m) deal for Braithwaite, but Cetinkaya insists he will be staying at Camp Nou. 

What's been said?

"Jorge Mendes has nothing to do with Martin Braithwaite, it's false like all the other reports. Jorge Mendes does not have players at Barcelona," Cetinkaya told Danish newspaper BT.

"He can concentrate on Wolves, but I take care of my players at Barcelona. Why should Martin Braithwaite move to Wolverhampton, and why should an agent who has no players in Barcelona try to bring my player to Wolverhampton, even though I know Jorge Mendes has good connections with clubs like Wolverhampton? It's a waste of time for everyone.

"Martin Braithwaite plays for the biggest club in the world, he works with one of the most important coaches in the world. From day one until now, everything has exceeded all expectations in terms of playing time in Barcelona and feeling well at the club, and he is very happy.

"He was one of the best players of the last European Championship with incredible statistics, and he will continue in Barcelona."

Barca's stance on Braithwaite

Barca handed Braithwaite a four-year contract when they snapped him up from Leganes for €18 million (£16m/$21m) in February 2020, and he has since scored eight goals in 53 games across all competitions.

The 30-year-old has provided the Blaugrana with valuable cover up front amid a turbulent period, but Goal understands that he is one of several first team-stars that could be sold this summer as they seek to reduce their overall salary costs.

Barca's current wage bill exceeds the official La Liga limit, and they have already offloaded the likes of Francisco Trincao, Junior Firpo, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konrad de la Fuente to balance the books as they also seek to re-sign club captain Lionel Messi - who is now a free agent.

Braithwaite's stock rose after he helped Denmark reach the Euro 2020 semi-finals, and despite his agent's comments, now could be the best time for the Blaugrana to cash in, especially given the fact he has fallen even further down the squad pecking order at Camp Nou following the arrivals of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay.

Further reading

Bafana Bafana international Darren Keet has revealed why he joined Cape Town City after interest from Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

The experienced goalkeeper recently completed his transfer to the Citizens following a short spell with National First Division side Cape Umoya United in the second round of the 2020/21 campaign.

Keet confirmed that two of the biggest clubs in the country, Chiefs and Pirates were interested in his services, but he was announced as a new City player a few days later.

The 31-year-old has now explained why he didn't join one of the two Soweto giants despite his agent, Shawn Bester having held talks with then-Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt and Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza.

“I chatted to Gavin when he was at Chiefs a bit, I spoke to the Khoza’s a few times, well I didn’t speak to them personally, my agent spoke to them,” Keet told iDiski Times.

“We had some conversations, but there was nothing really concrete."

Hunt, who was dismissed by Chiefs in late May this year, having worked with Keet at the now-defunct Bidvest Wits and he was linked with Amakhosi just before he moved to Belgian club OH Leuven in 2019.

The lanky shot-stopper disclosed City head coach Eric Tinkler was the one who convinced him into joining the Citizens.

“And obviously, then John [Comitis] came to us also, he made us an offer. And at first, we didn’t accept that offer, which I mean is normal in any situation," he continued. 

“And we kind of chatted a bit, I chatted to Eric a bit and then at the end of the day, we looked at the pros and cons of what it would be, of what we have and what we would need to do, and things like that and everything just points towards staying in Cape Town.

“My family is in Cape Town, my wife’s from Cape Town, and I think at the end of the day we’ve made the right decision, the right choice, ya, we’re not gonna have any regrets, I can guarantee you that.”

Keet, who has 12 Bafana caps, is seen as a direct replacement for Peter Leeuwenburgh who left City for Dutch side FC Groningen at the end of the 2020/21 season.

He started his career in Cape Town at the now-defunct Vasco Da Gama, before moving to Wits in 2008.

Zambia head coach Bruce Mwape has revealed his plan aimed at stopping the Netherlands during the Tokyo Olympic games Group F opener at Miyagi Stadium on Wednesday.
 
Zambia are Africa's sole representatives at the Olympic games and are set to face the Netherlands, China and Brazil in their pool, and Mwape is confident of a good result should his side remain compact against the European rivals.

"We know it’s the Netherlands, the team which has a lot of experienced players, but we did well in the preliminaries for us to qualify [for the Olympics], so we expect our players to perform well in this competition," Mwape told Faz media.

"Our aim is to play a more compact game because if we let them loose, they can use their experience, but all the same, the game is 90 minutes and it depends on how you have planned. They can have the experience, but if we go by our plan, things could be 50/50."

In a previous interview, the Copper Queens captain, Barbara Banda had explained why they are not intimidated by their group rivals: "We have played so many high-level games. We are not intimidated at all; our great achievement was in qualifying and our aim now is to do our level best. The first game is always important. As we go to our first game, we must be on top of our game and get the first three points," she said.

"This will determine how far we will go in the tournament. It's up to them to show what they are capable of, and I am sure that most of them will go professional."

Zambia are returning to the Olympic games after 33 years since their participation in the 1988 games when the women's national team advanced to the quarter-finals. The African nation took part in the 1976 games but boycotted the 1980 event for political reasons, even though they had qualified.

For the Netherlands' opener, Mwape will miss Martha Tembo who is suspended, while Grace Chanda, the country's top scorer in the qualifiers, is expected to start up front. On July 24, the Copper Queens will play against China before facing Brazil in the last group game days later.

A controversial VAR call sparked shocking scenes in the Copa Libertadores as angry Boca Juniors players stormed the tunnel before clashing with on-duty police.

Boca crashed out of the Copa Libertadores at the round of 16 stage on Tuesday after being beaten on penalties by Atletico Mineiro in Belo Horizonte.

The away side felt that they had a legitimate goal ruled out during normal time, and allowed their frustrations to boil over following their dramatic 3-1 loss in the shootout.

What happened?

After the match, tunnel footage showed a number of Boca players, including former Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo, trying to gain access to the Mineiro dressing room to confront the match officials.

Objects such as a fire extinguisher and metal barrier were thrown at the door in anger, with police forced to intervene to try and calm the situation down.

It has been reported that law enforcement officers used tear gas on several members of the Boca squad and staff, with it suggested that those involved could now be facing arrest.

VAR controversy

Boca had a goal ruled out for offside after a VAR review when the two sides also played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Argentina last week, and were on the wrong end of a similar decision in the second leg.

Asked if the match referees played a key role in their elimination from the competition, Boca midfielder Diego Gonzalez told reporters post-match: "Without a doubt, everyone can see that.

"We scored a good goal, and the fact is that we deserved to win the first game as well. This hurts, we feel bad. CONMEBOL [the South American Football Confederation] need to look at the refereeing."

Riquelme's reaction

Boca legend, and former Argentina star, Juan Roman Riquelme offered his take on the ugly scenes, claiming that the police were the aggressors as the situation escalated in the tunnel.

Riquelme, who currently serves as the club's vice-president, said: "When they were in the locker room, you see a person in a suit who pushed the boys and insults them ... The policemen threw gases in the players' faces.

"They gas, what do you do? Do you defend yourself or do you let them hit you? You see the president throwing bottles, the police ... They don't say anything to them. That's the truth."

The 43-year-old also echoed Gonzalez's comments on the officiating, expressing his belief that the core values of the Copa Libertadores have been compromised.

"We compete fairly, we deservedly win both games, yet we are out. It's difficult when they don't want to give you the goals," Riquelme added. "It is worrying, supposedly the issue of the VAR is to be more accurate and not cheat. It is a very nice competition, but this is unfortunate. 

"The Copa Libertadores is not serious or fair."

Further reading 

Kaizer Chiefs have responded to reports indicating the club is set to part ways with Philani Zulu, Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya, and Yagan Sasman.

The three left-backs have reportedly been deemed surplus to requirements at the Naturena-based giants ahead of the 2021/22 season.

This comes after Amakhosi signed two left-backs Sibusiso Mabiliso and Sfiso Hlanti, who have joined the club from AmaZulu FC and Swallows FC respectively on free transfers.

On Tuesday, Chiefs had announced the signing of Richards Bay defender Austin Dube, who can also operate as a left-back following the team's 3-0 loss to Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League final in Morocco on Saturday.

Chiefs’ football manager, Bobby Motaung explained they still have a month to sort out player contractual matters as he responded to the trio's rumoured potential exit. 

“We’re still in Morocco and we will give players some time off to rest,” Motaung told Daily Sun on Tuesday afternoon.

“We’ll start discussing those issues when they return. We’ll issue a statement when we’re done with everything.” 

Sasman and Ntiya-Ntiya both played just three matches in the PSL during the 2020/21 season with Zulu preferred ahead of them.

Ntiya-Ntiya was nurtured in the Chiefs academy before being promoted to the first team in January 2018 by then-Amakhosi coach Ernst Middendorp.

Sasman joined the Glamour Boys from Ajax Cape Town (now known as Cape Town Spurs) ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Zulu featured in 24 matches in the league in the recent campaign, but he was sometimes benched with Reeve Frosler operating as a left-back or left wing-back for the Soweto giants.

He has been on the books of Amakhosi since July 2017 having joined the club from Maritzburg United.

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Veteran Brazilian full-back Dani Alves thoroughly entertained his Selecao teammates on their journey to Tokyo to take part in the upcoming Olympic games 2020.

In a hilarious incident, the former FC Barcelona right-back took over the flight intercom and posed as a flight attendant to announce the pre-flight instructions to the players.

Watch Dani Alves turns flight attendant:

What is Brazil men's football team's schedule at Tokyo 2020 Olympics?

The Brazilian men's team has already reached Tokyo and have started training. The Selecao are placed in Group D at the Olympic games alongside Germany, Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia.

Brazil, the defending champions, will play their opening match against Germany on July 22 followed by facing Ivory Coast on July 25 and Saudi Arabia on July 28.

What does Brazil's Olympic squad look like?

Dani Alves will lead the Brazil side at the Olympics this year. Other notable players in the Selecao squad at the Olympics are Richarlison, Malcolm and Gabriel Martinelli. Paulinho, who played in the U17 World Cup in India, has also been named in the squad.

Further reading

Tokyo Olympics 2020: How do teams qualify for the final round

Where is the Brazil 2016 Olympics gold medal winning team now?

FC Barcelona legends went down 2-3 to Real Madrid legends in a Legends El Clasico tie at Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday.

The showpiece match saw some famous names to have donned the Barcelona and Real Madrid shirts take to the field again and mesmerise fans who idolised them at one time. 

Former Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho handed Barcelona the lead in the 27th minute but Pedro Munitis (42') and Alfonso Perez's (44') strikes put Real Madrid in front at halftime.

Former ATK FC and FC Goa winger Jofre Mateu restored parity from Brazilian legend Rivaldo's stunning 40-yard pass in the 59th minute, but Ruben De la Red's strike sealed the tie in Real Madrid's favour.

Watch Rivaldo's stunning pass which was converted by Jofre Mateu

The legendary Brazilian received a pass near the centre circle and almost immediately sent a long ball towards Jofre Mateu who made the run from the left. Mateu received the ball on the left edge of the box, went past a Real Madrid defender and found the back of the net

Jofre Mateu, a product of Barcelona academy played only two league matches for the Catalan giants in his career. Mateu later played for clubs like Levante, Espanyol and Real Valladolid. The last two clubs in his professional career were Indian Super League (ISL) clubs ATK FC (2014) and FC Goa (2015 and 2016).

Watch Ronaldinho in action for Barcelona legends

The star attraction of the match was Ronaldinho who mesmerized his fans with his famous silky touches and skills. Ronaldinho was also on target for the Catalan side from the penalty spot.

Anderlecht midfielder Majeed Ashimeru is not disturbed by being ignored for Ghana’s national team.

As was the case during the tenure of former Black Stars coach James Kwasi Appiah, the 23-year-old’s fortunes have not changed under CK Akonnor who assumed duty in January last year.

After a call-up in 2018, the attacker was out in the international wilderness until last year when he received a late invitation for back-to-back games against Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Since then, he has been overlooked in the last two selections.

"No, you can only feel disappointed or dejected when you don’t know yourself. For me, I know myself and I know what I’m capable of doing, so I never feel rejected or so,” Ashimeru told FMIG.

"The only thing I have to prove is that at my club side when I’m really doing well it will speak for itself."

Last month, Ashimeru took a significant step in his career when he signed a permanent contract with Anderlecht, leaving Austrian fold Red Bull Salzburg.

He had initially joined the Belgian outfit in a half-season deal in January.

"People do watch a lot of the Belgian league. I will say there are so many talents that come from Belgium. Belgium is a good league for the young guys to go there and showcase our talents and play,” said the 23-year-old.

“I am really comfortable because I was there 6 months and I felt okay, I felt at home. So I feel it’s really a good step for me.”

Before leaving Anderlecht, however, the midfielder achieved a personal landmark when he faced Liverpool in the Champions League in 2019.

“It was like a dream come true for me playing against these top clubs. These are games where you feel you’re getting there. It was really a good feeling,” he remarked.

“My first Champions League game was against Liverpool at Anfield and it was really a proud moment for me because I grew up watching the Champions League and I wanted to know how it feels.

"When it’s Champions League night in Liverpool, it’s crazy. It was a mixed feeling, Happy, scared. At Liverpool, their fans are really close to the pitch so you could hear them, like really shouting, and you can’t even feel your eyes. I was so happy and at the same time scared. But after a while, I felt good. When I was going to the pitch, I asked myself ‘is this the boy from Maamobi Nima playing in the Champions League?’

“It’s really something that we the Zongo people are proud of."

Ashimeru joined Salzburg from Ghana Premier League side Wafa in 2017.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the finest players of their generation and are two of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the game.

The two superstars have won almost every single trophy in club and international football and are two of the most accomplished players of all time.

While it is a known fact that Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has won the Olympics gold medal with Argentina at the 2008 Beijing games, did you know that Cristiano Ronaldo too played at the Olympic games?

A 19-year-old Ronaldo was a part of the Portuguese side which took part at the 2004 Athens Olympics. So how has Ronaldo performed at the

How has Ronaldo performed at the Olympics?

Cristiano Ronaldo was a part of the Portugal team which competed at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. It proved to be a disastrous outing for the star player as Portugal were ousted from the group stage finishing last in their group behind teams like Iraq, Costa Rica and Morocco. 

Portugal managed to win just one game in the tournament as they defeated Morocco 2-1. Incidentally, Ronaldo's only goal of the tournament came in that match.

Portugal's performance at 2004 Olympics

Who were Ronaldo's teammates at the 2004 Olympics?

How has Messi performed at the Olympics?

Lionel Messi was a part of the Argentina team which competed and won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. It was Messi's first major accomplishment with the Argentina side. 

The star-studded La Albiceleste under the captaincy of legendary footballer Juan Roman Riquelme dominated the entire tournament as they did not lose a single match on their way to glory. Lionel Messi had scored two goals in the competition, one against Ivory Coast in the group stage and the second one against Netherlands in the quarterfinal.

Argentina's performance at 2008 Olympics

Who were Messi's teammates at the 2004 Olympics?

The Indian national football team first qualified for the Olympics in 1948 and have played in four Olympics in total. However, since the 1960 Rome Olympics, an Indian side have never managed to enter the competition.

The four instances India played in the Olympics was in 1948 (London), 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne) and 1960 (Rome) with the Melbourne sojourn being its best outing.

How did Indian football team perform at the 1948 London Olympics?

Less than a year since gaining Independence from the British rule, on July 31, 1948, India made its Olympic debut against France at the Lynn Road Stadium in East London following an automatic qualification for the London Games. Captained by Dr. Talimeren Ao, a home physician from Nagaland, and coached by Balaidas Chatterjee, this was India's first international match post-Independence.

After France broke the deadlock with René Courbin finding the target, Sarangapani Raman scored Independent India's first ever international goal in the 70th minute. However, Sailen Manna and Mahabir Prasad failed to convert each of their penalties before Rene Persillon's 89th minute winner meant India had to pack their bags, given the knock-out nature of the competition.

India played the game barefoot and what was interesting to recall is the words captain Ao said after the tie - "Well, you see, we play football in India whereas you play bootball."

How did Indian football team perform at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics?

Mohun Bagan legend Sailen Manna was the captain of the team as India returned for the Games held in Helsinki. Yet again, the opening game was the only appearance for the team as they were defeated 10-1 by eventual silver medalists Yugoslavia. India's only goal was scored by Ahmed Khan in the 89th minute.

The Yugoslavian side had several players who had played in the World Cup. Bernard ‘Bajdo’ Vukas who scored a goal in each half. Rajko Mitić and Tihomir "Bata" Ognjanov also bagged a brace each while Branislav "Branko" Zebec completed a hat-trick and added another in the tie.

How did Indian football team perform at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics?

The 1956 Melbourne Games will remain as the one that will be most talked about as the Indian football team attained a fourth place finish.

Fortunate in a way to get a walkover in the first match that was to be against who would go on to be the most successful team in football at the summer Olympic games, Hungary - a team that consisted of the likes of Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis but had to withdraw from the tournament due to the Hungarian Revolution back home, India were up against hosts Australia in the quarter-finals.

Coached by Syed Abdul Rahim, another Bagan legend Samar Banerjee led India to their first ever victory at the Games. Inspired by a youthful PK Banerjee on the wings, the young and prolific Neville D'Souza went on the score the first hat-trick for an Asian in the Olympics while Kishan Kittu completed the tally in the 4-2 win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

India were up against Yugoslavia next in the semifinals. But Rahim's men were handed a 4-1 defeat where, interestingly, Neville D'Souza had given India the lead in the 52nd minute after a goalless first half. After losing the semi-finals, India battled for the bronze medal against Bulgaria but lost 3-0 to finish fourth instead.

With four goals, however, India's Neville D'Souza still finished joint highest goalscorer in the tournament with Yugoslavia's Todor Veselinović and Dimitar Milanov of Bulgaria. It was also the first time an Asian team finished in the top four at the Olympics.

How did Indian football team perform at the 1960 Rome Olympics?

The 1960 Games in Rome would mark India's last appearance in the Olympics as they failed to qualify for the tournament ever since. A few changes in the format were also introduced in this edition.

It was the first time that a group system was introduced in the Games as India, this time captained by PK Banerjee were in the same group as Hungary, France and Peru.

In the opening game, India might have lost 2-1 but not without staging a fight back. János Göröcs and Flórián Albert had given the Hungarians a two-goal cushion before Tulsidas Balram pulled one back in the 79th minute to keep the game interesting but India were not able to find the back of the net another time in the match.

Against France, India almost recorded their second win at the Olympics when PK Banerjee put his side ahead in the 71st minute. However, it was not to happen as Gérard Coinçon's late equaliser saved the Les Blues' blushes but it was a historic result for India none-the-less.

Tulsidas Balram was on target once again in the final group stage match against Peru but India ended on the losing side of a 3-1 result to crash out of the tournament India are yet to make a return to.

Why is Indian football team not particpating in Tokyo 2020 Olympics?

Failing to make it out of the group stage of the 2020 AFC U-23 Championships, which has been the route for Asian teams to the Games since the 2016 Rio Finals, the Indian football team will not be participating in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo that are set to begin from July 21, 2021.

India finished third in Group F that consisted of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan, although Pakistan withdrew. India lost against both Uzbekistan (3-0) and Tajikistan (2-0) in the single-leg group games.

In addition to host nation Japan, 2020 AFC U-23 Championship winners, South Korea, runners-up, Saudi Arabia, and the team who finshed third, Australia, made the cut among the Asian representatives at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Further reading: 

Men's football in Olympics started in 1900 in France where London-based now-defunct club Upton Park FC, representing Great Britain, had won the gold medal.

Since then, football has been played in 26 editions at the Olympics. 1932 Los Angeles Olympics was the only edition where football was not played as reportedly FIFA wanted to promote the World Cup which started in 1930.

Hungary and Great Britain (including Upton Park's triumph) are the most successful teams in the history of the Olympics with three gold medals each followed by Argentina, Uruguay and the Soviet Union, who have two golds each. Five-time World Cup winners Brazil have only won the gold medal (2016) once in history.

The Tokyo Olympics will be the 28th edition of the games where football will be played. 16 teams have qualified from six continents who will take part in the competition this year.

From Asia, there will be four teams including hosts Japan. Europe are the only other continent from four nations that will be participating.

Here is how the 16 teams from six continents have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

How do Asian teams qualify for the Olympic games?

44 Asian teams were divided into 11 groups for the AFC U23 Championship 2020 qualifiers. From the qualifiers, 11 group toppers and four best runner-ups qualified for the AFC U23 Championship 2020. Thailand, being the hosts, of the tournament had automatically qualified.

The AFC U23 Championship acted as the AFC qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The U23 Championship was held in Thailand from January 8 to January 26, 2020. South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final to win the title while Australia defeated Uzbekistan 1-0 to finish third and qualify for the Olympics along with South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

How did India peform in the Olympic qualifiers?

India who took part in the preliminary qualification round were ousted from the group stage after finishing third behind Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. India lost both their ties, 3-0 against Uzbekistan and 2-0 against Tajikistan in the group stage.

How do European teams qualify for the Olympics?

The UEFA European U21 Championship qualification is the first round of qualification for the Olympics. 54 teams were divided into nine groups. The nine group toppers automatically qualified for the European U21 Championship while the best four runners-up played a play-off match among themselves to determine two more qualifying teams. Italy being the host of the tournament were the 12th team in U21 Championship.

Spain won the Championship beating Germany 2-1 in the final which was held between June 16 to June 30. The other three qualifying teams are Germany, France and Romania.

How do South American teams qualify for the Olympics?

The CONMEBOL pre-Olympic tournament was held between January 19 to February 9, 2020. 10 South American nations were divided into two groups. The top two teams from each group qualified for the final stage where they played a round-robin stage. Argentina and Brazil finished first and second respectively and qualified for the final tournament.

How do African teams qualify for the Olympics?

In the first stage of the qualification, 43 African teams competed in three rounds of qualification and seven teams and host Egypt qualified for the Africa U23 Cup of Nations tournament which also acted as the final round of qualification for the Olympics.

The tournament was held between November 8 to November 22 with Egypt winning the title beating Ivory Coast 2-1 in the final. South Africa finished third beating Ghana 6-5 (2-2) in the penalty shootout to become the third team to qualify for the Olympic games.

How do CONCACAF teams qualify for the Olympics?

Eight teams out of 25 qualified for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympics Qualification round. Mexico and Honduras made it to the final tournament and Mexico won the competition beating Honduras 5-4 (1-1) in the penalty shootout.

How do Oceania teams qualify for the Olympics?

Eight teams from the Oceania continent were divided into two groups in the qualification round from where four teams made it to the semifinal. New Zealand eventually qualified for the tournament beating Solomon Islands 5-0 in the final.

Wilfried Singo stated that Cote d’Ivoire possess the quality to impress when the men’s football event of the Tokyo Olympics gets underway on Thursday.

The Elephants are making their second appearance at the global sporting showpiece and they would be hoping to surpass their quarter-final feat at Beijing 2008.

After finishing as runners-up in Group A that boasts Argentina, Australia and Serbia, the West Africans bowed 2-0 to Nigeria in the quarter-final with Obinna Nsofor and Peter Odemwingie settling the encounter in Qinhuangdao.

To stand a chance of competing for the gold medal in Japan, the African star must negotiate their way past Saudi Arabia, Germany and defending champions Brazil in Group D.

Even at the hard-hitting zone, the Torino star disclosed that Soualiho Haidara’s men are keen on surpassing fans’ hopes.

"It's all about giving a positive image of our country," the 20-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.

"It's a privilege to represent the Ivory Coast at the Olympic Games - now it's up to us to live up to our fans' expectations.

"I spoke to my club and coach (Ivan) Juric was very understanding about such a positive opportunity for me. I'm sure I will come back stronger from such a top-level tournament.

"We know we have been drawn in a difficult group, but we are determined to go through.

“We have a team with quality, and we want to show that - it won't be easy but it's not impossible."

Singo is not shy about the fact that his performances in Tokyo will determine if who would make Cote d’Ivoire’s squad for the 2020 Africa Cup of Nations billed for Cameroon.

"It will be with determination, concentration, hard work and humility, as well as having a good season with Torino," he continued.

"Only these values can allow me to improve. To be recalled to the squad for the big competitions like the Nations Cup and the World Cup, you have to put in good club performances.

"We are going to Cameroon with a lot of determination and desire. We'll do all we can to go as far as possible and I hope all will go well - why shouldn't we return home with a third star on our shirts?"

Cote d’Ivoire commence their campaign on Thursday against Saudi Arabia at the International Stadium Yokohama.